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Abstract

Behaviour in schools is a contentious issue in educational debate,
with many people feeling that the standard of behaviour in schools
has declined over recent years. Consistently poor behaviour may
present a barrier to learning, and can have a negative effect on the
morale of both staff and pupils. Numerous interventions to promote
the positive behaviour and self-esteem of young children have been
documented; however there appears to be no consensus as to what
is the best possible approach to take.
The study sought the opinions of 33 teachers from four different
settings, in order to establish the nature and extent of the behavioural
problems exhibited by children aged between 3-7 years, and to
establish how much emphasis that practitioners placed upon the selfesteem
of the children in their care. lt was also hoped to expose any
key characteristics of those children who misbehave. Finally, the
study sought to uncover good practice with regard to effective
strategies to promote positive behaviour and self-esteem.
Qualitative data from eight semi-structured interviews and
quantitative data from twenty-five postal questionnaires were
analysed. Overall, the findings have suggested that the practitioners
did not have any real concerns with regard to the conduct of pupils,
as a degree of poor behaviour could be anticipated due to their age
and stage of development. Amongst those children who did pose a
problem to the practitioners, it was evident that only one or two
children from each class caused any serious problems, yet general
low-level disruption from the whole class was cited as a key cause
for concern, and was a significant cause of stress.
The most effective strategies for promoting positive behaviour and
self-esteem was praise which was considered to be an effective way
of boosting the confidence of children, and reinforcing positive
behaviour. The practitioners also utilised rewards and sanctions, but
more importance was placed upon the reward aspect as the children
were deemed too young to understand the consequences of some of
the sanctions. The practitioners also emphasised the importance of
classroom rules, as well as a consistent approach to behaviour
management in general.

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